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It is kind of like giving birth….taking a room from blah to ahhhhh….that is the only way to describe it. It is always a process writing a post like this. Recalling all the things I have already shared…and trying to remember what I haven’t shared. Bare with me ;) I will be talking about this space for many weeks to come….but I wanted to reward you with some fun pictures..thanks for your patience friends.

The white paint on the walls and trim made this built in look brand new. I really wanted to keep what I could…and this entire wall of shelving was built by my honey about 7 years ago. The desk functions really well….nice a long with sewing at one end and computer at the other. The wall paint is Simply White by Benjamin Moore in flat. The trim is all semi gloss. We had a piece of glass cut to fit the super long desk.

The light is from Overstock.com…perfect mix of classic and modern. I will chat more about the window panels in a bit…the “valance” is an old piece of trim. It was already this perfect shade of gray. Panel fabric is from the Waverly Williamsburg collection.

I shared on Instagram this mantle that has been in my garage since last summer….it has found it’s permanent home. I was thinking of painting it a nice charcoal…but I am loving this stained-beat-up look too. For the inset of the mantel I used a fun new product called Air stone. I am so pleased with the results. I will do a post on it very soon. Such an innovative product. Also, above the mantel…I will be framing my Traveling Artwork. The reading chair, framed chicken wire, blanket, pillow, side table, desk chair, lamp and planter are all from Homegoods. Love me some Homegoods :) The large print that is sitting on the mantle right now is a poster I made on Printsagram (96 instagrams all on one poster;).

The faux fireplace is such a nice feature to this room. I ended up white washing the Airstone….more of that soon…. Of course…the fun upcycled door that became my gift wrap holder…love that!

Everything came off the shelves and I reduced and reorganized. All the small items were placed in large jars. I love the chalkboard contact paper. You can cut it any size, and stick it on. Perfect for so many uses! More post coming soon on the desk accessories;)

The grey bins are Target’s Threshold brand….love them!

Grey patterned desk chair is from Homegoods. (shocker I know)

We made this “art cart” to a size that would work nicely in the room. It is on wheels and the top is Carrera marble tiles…yum:) It holds all my photography backdrops and has shelves on both side for pretty baskets (still looking for a few containers to finish it off) Tutorial soon….

The floors….oh my the floors….I love these floors. They are light, slightly modern and chic…and warm all at the same time. I absolutely love them. We hired out for the floors. Basically, white pine wide plank, sanded 3 times, white washed (Bono professional brand) and poly (in Satin) (3 coats). I will be putting an area rug down eventually….More on that later too….yall know I don’t like to be too wordy in one post;)

I think what I am most pleased about is that this room functions now. Before….it got messy really quickly because there was no order or method to where things belong. Now…scissors get hung up…glue is contained…paint swatches are all in a bin…I love that I know that everything in this space is useful. When I started this room…I went through everything and asked myself…Do I really need this? A pringles can from 2 years ago?…. Loads of fabric scraps that were barely big enough to sew with….glue that had about an ounce left in it….point is…I got rid of 4 large trash bags of stuff. Ahhhhh…..(I think the hardest part is getting started.) But when you tell yourself….I am going to just fill up one bag today…then by the end of the week you have a much clearer vision of what the space can be:)

I’ll be sharing more soon….what is your favorite part? Oh Please tell me:) I would love for you to share this post with friends too…xoxo!

Tracie Stoll is a wife, mom and has a passion for creating new things. On her blog Cleverlyinspired.com she is constantly sharing ways to inspire her readers to be clever in their own home. Since 2010 Tracie has been sharing DIY projects, crafting, remodeling and decorating along with some easy tasty recipes…all on a mindful budget. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton where she studied visual art and communications. Tracie has been featured on popular sites such as Country Living, CNN living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Seventeen and Design Sponge. She is also a member of the True Value Blog Squad & Martha’s Circle of trusted bloggers.

Tracie Stoll is a wife, mom and has a passion for creating new things. On her blog Cleverlyinspired.com she is constantly sharing ways to inspire her readers to be clever in their own home. Since 2010 Tracie has been sharing DIY projects, crafting, remodeling and decorating along with some easy tasty recipes…all on a mindful budget. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton where she studied visual art and communications. Tracie has been featured on popular sites such as Country Living, CNN living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Seventeen and Design Sponge. She is also a member of the True Value Blog Squad & Martha’s Circle of trusted bloggers.

I originally felt a little silly getting rid of such a nice sleigh bed in my son’s old bedroom. But it was taking up a lot of space and it wasn’t what he wanted for his room…and I wanted this space to reflect him. I ended up researching some beds I could make. I wanted it to look industrial, not take up much room, and be affordable to put together. I scanned the web and found this one at Restoration Hardware. I love the look of it….but I didn’t want to shell out $700…and I didn’t want the head and footboards. Here is how I made my own DIY pipe bed…

In the plumbing department…they have loads of galvanize pipe. The pipe I bought was called black pipe. I got 5 pieces that were 12 inches long. The flanges for these are sold in the same aisle. Look for 3/4 inch floor flange (the pipe is 3/4 inch wide). The folks in that aisle can help you if you take a picture of this post with you. You will also need some wood screws, purebond plywood (there are many reasons to go with Purebond…but I really like the fact that it is formaldehyde free…in a bedroom this matters a bunch.)..paints of choice are needed too.

First I cleaned the pipe with alcohol. I then connected the parts and sprayed with 2 coats of metallic spray paint. I wanted them to have a cleaner finish. Feel free to leave them as is …if you like the black. I stained the bottom my minwax express color in Indigo. Using a corner bracket for measuring….I attached the pipe parts to the bottom of the plywood. One in the center and one on each corner.

We trimmed out the edges with 1” trim and painted it the same color as the pin board on the wall. (I believe it is blueberry from BenMoore)

I need to say…thanks…thanks to all of you who send me sweet notes, emails and words that are inspiring to me. It makes the mean and nasty comments that I receive much easier to laugh at. I appreciate you all! I wish you a wonderful weekend :)

Tracie Stoll is a wife, mom and has a passion for creating new things. On her blog Cleverlyinspired.com she is constantly sharing ways to inspire her readers to be clever in their own home. Since 2010 Tracie has been sharing DIY projects, crafting, remodeling and decorating along with some easy tasty recipes…all on a mindful budget. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton where she studied visual art and communications. Tracie has been featured on popular sites such as Country Living, CNN living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Seventeen and Design Sponge. She is also a member of the True Value Blog Squad & Martha’s Circle of trusted bloggers.

Thanks for the sweet comments on my Preteen boys room. It is such a fun space to be in. One of my favorite projects from this space is this DIY light fixture. I ended up making two and flanking the bed with them. They are hip, unique and so stylish….something you would find in a high end catalog…but for a ton less. Why waste your money when you can make them yourself??

Here is what you will need to make your own metal hanging light….A lamp kit, crossbar, wire, No. 8 machine screws, and flat washers (size m5) and 2 sheets of metal. You will find metal sheets in your local hardware store. This is typically used for covering vents. Sometimes you will see screens made from this metal that will cover old radiators. The sheets are precut….and come in several styles. This one I used is called union jack. They run about $8 a piece. You want to be sure that the screws and washers you chose will hold together the metal. My screw fit into an opening and the washer helps it stay put….a nut secures it together on the other side. That is how the light is held together….Let me explain…

Fold the metal sheet in half and join the tops together……

Take a machine screw (with a washer on it first) and place it through a hold close to the end of the sheet. The washer ensures that the screw says put and doesn’t go through the hole.

Secure the nut on the opposite side. Repeat this with the other end of the metal.

Now that you have your light secured you can wire in your crossbar in the center. I snugged mine in the center and then wired it on. This crossbar with hold you light bulb in place. You can find crossbars in the lamp repair section of the hardware store.

Now you are ready to wire the light. Take the brass nipple (long threaded piece) and secure it in the center of the crossbar. A nut will screw on to hold it in place.

Take your wires….and from the top…thread them through the nipple and pull out the bottom. Giving yourself enough wire to work with .

Next, thread the wire through the “hat” of the lamp base (pic.4).

You are now ready to “wire” your light. Loosen the screws on either side of the light base. One is silver and one is gold (try not to get the song in your head…”make new friends…but keep the one…one is silver and the other gold….”) moving on…. There are two wires….one is ribbed or grooved and the other is smooth. The ribbed wire gets wrapped around the silver screw. The smooth wire gets wrapped around the gold screw. Needle nose pliers make it easy to make a little loop that can go around the screw…then tighten with a screwdriver so that the wire stays around that screw.

When you have the wires secured….place the other end of the “hat” and slide it over the base. (I realize real electrician don’t use the term hat….but it’s how I remember it :) Be sure you have the end that will click into the hat top. Click it all together. Screw it all to the end of the nipple. Pull wires out the top to prevent slack. Congrats you just wired a light!!!!!

**** Please note….we have this light on a timer and it is only on for short periods (1-2 hours) a night. Obviously metal will heat up…and this light would be best out of the reach of small children. We have a 40 watt bulb in our lights and the metal hasn’t been hot….warm..but not hot . As with all lights and lamps….use caution. Thanks :)

Tracie Stoll is a wife, mom and has a passion for creating new things. On her blog Cleverlyinspired.com she is constantly sharing ways to inspire her readers to be clever in their own home. Since 2010 Tracie has been sharing DIY projects, crafting, remodeling and decorating along with some easy tasty recipes…all on a mindful budget. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton where she studied visual art and communications. Tracie has been featured on popular sites such as Country Living, CNN living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Seventeen and Design Sponge. She is also a member of the True Value Blog Squad & Martha’s Circle of trusted bloggers.

It is hard to believe….my bear is in 7th grade this year. He is turning into such a kind and funny young man. I was thrilled to work on his room with him this summer. We made it into a space that is creative and fun…but at the same time peaceful and “chill” as he would say. I have a lot of projects to share with you from this space….here are some pictures of the reveal…..

Before the room was brown and kind of beat up. We took some time to fix the walls…I repainted all the trim also. The carpet needs to be replaced…but we got a fun new area rug for the time being.

His large sleigh bed took up so much room….so I decided to replace the bed. I made this bed with Purebond plywood and some steel pipe. It is a hip new look….for not much cash. Easy project too! The bed is “framed” with some cedar planks that I nailed to the wall. In the center is some fun action shots of him playing.

The gray on the wall plays nicely with the pops of blue and orange. It feels very fresh and fun!

The “chill zone” is a definite favorite. The orange futon can pull out for any overnight guest. It has also become nice spot to sit and read. All his year books are displayed on a custom made shelf. Above that I painted a square blue and stuck on some corkboards for him to collect is snapshots ….

The custom made lighting is one of my favorites. I will have a post coming soon!! So easy, uber chic, cheap and fun!

The room is a true reflection of the bear. It is so fun, creative and full of all the things he loves.

Where I found some things for this room:

The color on the walls is Cement Gray by Martha Stewart (glidden paints)

Tracie Stoll is a wife, mom and has a passion for creating new things. On her blog Cleverlyinspired.com she is constantly sharing ways to inspire her readers to be clever in their own home. Since 2010 Tracie has been sharing DIY projects, crafting, remodeling and decorating along with some easy tasty recipes…all on a mindful budget. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton where she studied visual art and communications. Tracie has been featured on popular sites such as Country Living, CNN living, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Seventeen and Design Sponge. She is also a member of the True Value Blog Squad & Martha’s Circle of trusted bloggers.

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Welcome to CleverlyInspired! My hope is that when you leave here you are inspired to go forth and be clever in your own home. DIY, crafts, recipes and decorating chit chat….and all on a mindful budget. Thank you for stopping by!
xo, Tracie